Since becoming a member of FictionAlley.org and cruising the fics there (well, most are better than the drivel that shows up on fanfiction.net) I've noticed two things: waaaaay too much smut and really bad action scenes. I mean, REALLY bad action scenes. So the next two tips and exercises are going to concentrate on action both physical and emotional (rowr). Now I know what you're gonna say, "Wolfie, you said this list was going to be for all ages!" It will be! Just trust me on this, okay? ;)
Okay, action! We all know what action is, right? By definition, simply, it is movement. Well, we're using it more broader and complicated terms, in a forceful and perhaps violent manner. A fight, a chase, an argument, something that gets the blood boiling and the emotions heaving. Face it, Harry Potter is a very violent series, with lots of fights, blood and "bloody hell". Not too mention a ton of great Quidditch matches (Wolfie supports the Cannons this year on the off-chance they actually win a game).
Now the first rule of thumb is don't interrupt the action when you're writing your scene. Don't have the characters think during that scene. Have them react. Sirius Black throws a punch at Severus Snape and Snape ducks. You tell it straight and to the point. You wouldn't say Snape saw Black's fist fly toward his nose and thought 'I think he's going to hit me, I should probably duck'. No. You want tension, you want to see in your mind's eye the two of them doing something besides growling at each other.
The second rule of thumb is "no internal conflict". This actually goes back to the whole "no thinking allowed" concept. Snape wouldn't start thinking in the middle of your scene that he hasn't thrown a punch at someone in over seven years and he's not really sure he can remember all the proper ways to bloody Black's nose.
Think of the action scene as a story within a story, structurally. We've already gone over structure: beginning, middle and end. It should also serve a purpose or have a goal and always should have resolution. Black and Snape are duking it out in the staffroom. Lupin comes in and gets involved as an innocent by-stander. Dumbledore comes in and points out that fighting with each other will serve no one any purpose and to stop. The resolution is they've stopped fighting. The goal, which winds up on Dumbledore's behalf, is that they've gotten some of their aggression to each other out and now they might perhaps work easier together. Hey! Miracles can happen! And yeah, crappy example, but give me a break. It's spur of the moment and I'm working on caffeine only here.
An action scene or sequences of action scenes should serve two functions. 1) Maintain the story's momentum and not give the impression of a change in that momentum. 2) It should keep the plot or subplot on track. It should work with the plot, not against it. The fight scene between Harry and Voldemort at the end of Book 4 is a PERFECT example. It was led up to by a tense, nerve-wracking series of sequences, the maze). Then the kidnapping, which was an unexpected thump. Then the confrontation, the whole Voldemort reborn and Death Eaters arrive and that leads up to Voldie and Harry's duel. The duel itself is gripping, nerve-wracking, and yet serves a purpose of many different purposes: Voldemort and Harry's wands are seen to be in conflict with repercussions later and more information regarding Voldemort's past deeds come to light and/or are made clearer.
Still confused? How about it this way then. What? Why? How? Simple, effective, and just what you need. Kind of like beginning, middle and end. The three Ws, as opposed to the three Rs.
What do you want this scene to show? Is it a chase scene to get the character(s) from one place to another and to further the plot? How? How are the character(s) getting from Point A to Point B to Point C? Spell? Floo Powder? Car? Bike? Running? In disguise on a bus? Why? Why are they chasing or being chased? Why are they fighting? Set up the scene always before indulging in the action. Never interrupt the action, I cannot stress this enough. Never interrupt the action. Action is on-the-edge-of-your-seat excitement. Its a tense, highly emotionally charged situation. Rowling adequately described the cemetary through Harry's observances while Pettigrew did his mumbo jumbo, thus setting the reader up to know where Harry and his opponents were in reference to the action and movements as the duel commenced.
Also consider viewpoint, as in whose point of view will this fight be from. Usually its good rule of thumb to find one character and stick with it. Large battle scenes tend to be easier this way, unless you have different areas of the battle. Like General A is on the westbank, holding off a naval attack. General B has got his hands full with a breach in the wall defense. General C has been captured but has found a way to get back to his comrads with intelligence overheard that can turn the tide of the battle in their favor. Jump to another viewpoint at key points that allow suspense or when one sequence somehow affects another. General C might be the first character you talk about but only because you want the readers to wonder "will he get through?" only to learn that he *needs* to get through because Generals A and B are about to get their butts handed to them! And at the end of the whole battle, HURRAH! General C *did* get through and the attackers are now on the run. So long suckers and the readers go wild!
A great way to study action sequences and scenes are obviously movies and television programs. Study how these scenes are handled physically. Knowing some "technical" terms of movements and what those movements are is good too. Like what's the difference between a fly kick and a roundhouse? Or the difference between an upper cut and a left jab? Know what you're writing about before you write it.
Speaking of knowing what you're writing about and using the right words...Good action needs good action words. Good action words would be verbs and adverbs. Tip #17 had a link to a verb list but alas its defunct and I've scoured the net looking for a verb list that has nothing to do with resumes. We're outta luck. But I did find something else that might be useful. How to find alternative ways of saying the same action. How many times have we seen someone write "Dumbledore said" everytime Dumbledore has dialog. He never chortles or inquires or responds. It's always "Dumbledore said".
Think of different words to describe the same actions listed below, but add the character's emotional state and situation:
EXAMPLE:
crawl = grovel (Pettigrew does this alot), shimmy (a good escape word, like shimmying up a tree), creep (a good sneaky word), scramble (used so many different ways, but usually in a hurry), scoot (I always think of this word as one used by a victim or the loser...scooting away),
walk
talk
run
sit
march
say
shout
jump